Our green beans are doing fairly well this year and we've managed to can 14 quarts. That may not seem like much, but it's part of 14 meals for our family, and every little bit helps. In a perfect world we would get at least 50 quarts of green beans, but it's been a few years since we've had a bumper crop of green beans like that. It's good to have goals though. For now we're eating fresh and canning the rest. It's best not to leave green bean in the fridge (or on the counter) too long, because they have a tendency to dry out. Which is why we're canning our green beans in such small batches.
We have four rows that are about 50 feet long full of stringless bush green beans. We prefer the bush kind because the leaves keep the plant from drying out in the blazing Alabama sun. We do have to water them on occasion. Green beans are a finicky plant; they need a sufficient amount of water but not too much and they must not be planted too deep or too shallow (got to find that happy medium). If you can manage to do all of those things then it's likely you will have a bountiful harvest.
Canning green beans is one of my most favorite foods to can. It is super easy and quick with minimal mess. If you're looking for a first time pressure canning crop, green beans is definitely the way to go.
Once we have our green beans picked, we give them a good washing and dry them well, typically laying them on a beach towel to dry. Most often when we are canning green beans we snap the ends off the night before, place the beans in a large bowl with a towel on top of it (if you had a large bowl with a lid that would be fine too), and then we store them in the fridge until morning. When morning comes we're all set to put the green beans into jars and commence with the pressure canning process.
Canning Green Beans
- Bring a large pot of water to boil
- While water is coming to a boil stuff sanitized jars with green beans, filling to the neck of the jar
- Pour boiling water into jar, covering green beans, do not go past neck with the water
- Place lid and rim onto jar according to safe canning procedures
- Put jars inside pressure canner and process for 25 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure (reference canner instructions for specifics)
And that's it my friends, it doesn't get much easier than that when it comes to canning. This is one of those canning ops where it's fun to include even the little ones, because snapping green beans and filling jars is easy and fun, plus they're learning an amazing skill that they can use for a lifetime. Not to mention the awesome family bonding time to be had when preserving food.
I honestly believe there is no greater platform for building and strengthening the bonds of a family than growing and preserving food together. The memories made, the lessons learned, it's all priceless if you ask me. But, then again I am just an old fashion woman with a heart for the simple life where God, family, and working hard together is the mantra of life. Perhaps I was just born in the wrong decade, and these ideals have long died away. Nevertheless, I plan to keep on keeping on doing my best to raise my children with these core values, and maybe one day it will be 'catching' with a new generation. Maybe then we can actually get back to living and dying the way God designed.
With Love & Hope,
Jennifer
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